Kasich glad wild-animal ban is OK'd

An exotic-animals law is on its way to Gov. John Kasich seven months after Ohio made headlines worldwide when dozens of tigers, bears and other wild creatures were released and had to be killed.

Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch

An exotic-animals law is on its way to Gov. John Kasich seven months after Ohio made headlines worldwide when dozens of tigers, bears and other wild creatures were released and had to be killed.

The Ohio House voted 87-9 yesterday to approve Senate Bill 310. A few hours later, the Senate OK'd changes in the bill by a 31-0 vote, sending it to Kasich, who has said he will be “ proud to be signing this bill into law.”

Sen. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, the sponsor of the measure, called it “a great step forward for public safety.”

Not everyone agreed. In the House, a handful of lawmakers voted against the bill, including Rep. Terry Boose, R-Norwalk, who said it gives “a false sense of safety to Ohio.”

Boose said the bill “takes away property rights,” discriminates against poor people who can’t afford the fees and insurance it requires and lacks teeth to make it work.

The legislation was sparked by the escape last fall of more than four dozen wild animals owned by Terry W. Thompson of Zanesville. Thompson set free his menagerie and then killed himself. Most of the animals were killed by law-enforcement authorities to protect the public.

In a statement released after the votes, Kasich said that although there was no loss of human life in the Zanesville incident, “next time we might not be so lucky ... which is why I committed to doing everything we can to prevent a ‘next time.’??”

The ban on acquisition, sale and breeding of restricted species would take effect 90 days after the measure is signed. Mandatory registration of exotic wild animals would kick in by the end of this year.

By Oct. 1, 2013, owners would have to obtain a permit and pay a fee to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. As of Jan. 1, 2014, owners without permits could have their animals seized through local humane societies.

Owners can continue to keep, breed and acquire snakes shorter than 10 feet long, although those on the restricted list must be registered with the state.

Yesterday’s vote followed 15 hours of public hearings of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee during which 80 witnesses testified. Rep. David Hall, R-Millersburg, chairman of the committee, said lawmakers took the bill seriously because of the kind of animals involved.

“They’re not like a dog bite,” he said. “These are things that can hurt you.”

Hall conceded, “We’re not going to make everyone happy.” But he said the final bill was the result of Democrats and Republicans, including the governor, working together.

Three groups that protect animals — the Humane Society of the United States, Born Free USA and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — said in a statement that passage of the law “ends Ohio’s status as a free-for-all state for private ownership of dangerous wild animals.”

Ohio has been one of seven states that have no restrictions on private ownership of exotic animals.

Lawmakers last night put $500,000 into a separate bill to cover start-up costs for the new exotic-animals program. Full House and Senate votes on that bill are likely today.

ajohnson@dispatch.com

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